


Our Family Portrait

by typewriterandtea



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005), Sarah Jane Adventures
Genre: AU, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-13
Updated: 2017-05-22
Packaged: 2018-03-22 18:15:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3738526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/typewriterandtea/pseuds/typewriterandtea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU// Sky remains as a baby following the events of "Sky" and a series of events follows which gives Sarah Jane a completely different 'Family Portrait'. The Doctor drops by and meets Sky, but becoming attached to a family unit isn't easy when your job is saving the world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sky

I originally uploaded this months ago, in fact, it might even have been a year _or more_ ago but I wasn't happy with it and quickly pulled it down. Now, writing has became my therapy and while I have plenty to write, I wanted to re-edit this and get it back up again so I would have some motivation to work on it again. It was perhaps one of my favourite AU ideas and I have various ideas that I would love to explore through this; like all my other WIP pieces, I can't promise how often or frequent updates will be, but once I get to mid-June and have my exams out of the way, I plan on dedicating a lot more time to writing, and hopefully to this piece especially.

_A/N: While this begins in the Sarah Jane Adventures episode 'Sky' it will include more elements of 'Doctor Who'; also because there will be more than one Doctor and/or companion making an appear in this piece._

* * *

**Our Family Portrait / Chapter One / Sky**

_Family.  
_

That's the one thing Sarah Jane had never truly had in her life.

Even after years of traveling through time and space, meeting some of the most astonishing and perplexing creatures, some of whom had taught her the many secrets of the universe; then there was the blood-curdling creatures that would petrify even the strongest of men; both human and Time Lord.

Through all of this, Sarah Jane never had a true family to call her own.

A dysfunctional family was the nearest thing she had ever had to the compassionate, affectionate and tender family units she had read about during her childhood, through the various novels in her Aunt Lavina's substantial library. Luke entering her life, as suddenly as he had, gave her the slight sense of that family unit that she had missed out on.

Her parents had died when she was only a baby, and their death brought an end to any typical family life.

In this very moment, all she wanted was a family member to turn to.

Bouncing the babbling baby in her arms, Sarah Jane had never felt so helpless. She could fix Daleks, even an army of Sontarns, but deal with a baby? Certainly not. Her child rearing skills were limited to a super genius teenager and his inner circle of friends.

Who would ever leave a child on her doorstep? _Her_ of all people; whose only experience with children was a boy born at the age of 13 with a brain like a super computer, and even before that she had only cared for her Aunt Lavina's ward, Brendan, who had been a few years older than Luke when she was looking after him.

The former time-traveller couldn't even remember the last time she had held a baby, or a child under 10 for that matter. Now, she was desperately trying to calm down a child whose very cries could seemingly blow every illuminated lightbulb and every circuit that fell within the reach of her almighty cries.

Deciding that enough of her lightbulbs had been blown, Sarah Jane cautiously rouse from her tan leather sofa and made her way towards the attic. "Mr. Smith. I need you" She announced in a hushed voice, hoping to keep the infant in her arms occupied by allowing her to gently twist and pull on the ring finger of her left hand.

However, Sarah Jane wasn't met with the usual trumpets, fanfares and smoke; instead she was greeted with nothing at all. Even Mr. Smith had went into hiding from the baby.

"Typical" She accepted with a heavy sigh, allowing her eyes to drop down onto the baby; _an alien baby_ at that. Throughout her adulthood, she had on several occasions remarked on how babies looked.. _rubbery_. This baby however, _wasn't too_ bad, if you could get over her ability to blow things up whenever she felt like crying her little eyes out.

Rummaging around in the deep pockets of her ivory night gown, Sarah Jane managed to pull her phone out. It was perhaps the only electrical thing that hadn't been blown up yet.

Struggling to shift the baby into her right arm, she silently prayed that the girl wouldn't let out another series of cries and bring down the entire house. Allowing her gaze to remain on the infant for a few seconds longer, simply to ensure that she was still content, Sarah Jane tried her best to operate her phone one handed, texting Rani to ask her to come and quickly, after all, she wouldn't put it past Rani to know more about babies than herself, which wouldn't be hard. Waiting for the whooshing noise to sound, confirming that the message was on its way to Rani, she quickly started composing a similar message to Clyde.

Turning up her nose, Sarah Jane came to the conclusion that perhaps she should get Clyde to pick up some nappies on his way - it seemed the baby was in need of them.

The noise of the phone was enough to upset the fussy child. Swaying from side to side, Sarah Jane tried to mimic the motions she had seen various mother's use to comfort their children. It seemed for once that luck was on her side as the infant's cries began to steadily become quieter and quieter until they were nothing more than gentle sniffles.

Thank God for small mercies.

Turning around to face the array of alien artifacts and a small selection of the various novels she had collected over her years as a journalist, she tried her best to find something that might distract the child, at least long enough for her to be able to change out of her night clothes before the others arrived. Yet, every time she moved to place the baby down into her car seat, the girl would drop her bottom lip, letting it tremble slightly as a flood of tears started arise when separated from Sarah Jane.

The sound of footsteps heading up the staircases two at a time were music to Sarah Jane's throbbing ears.

There was only so much crying that the woman could physically take.

Returning to her swaying motion, Sarah Jane just prayed that neither Clyde nor Rani would set the baby off on another crying fit; she doubted her head nor her electricity could take anymore. Moving to slip her finger into the baby's small, soft hand, allowing the child to wrap her gentle fingers around it in order to content herself as she heard the door opening behind her following by a worried call of "Sarah Jane! What's..."

Keeping the baby against her chest, Sarah Jane tried her best to keep up the swaying as it seemed to be the only thing comforting the child while she turned around to face her younger companion. "What's a baby doing in your arms?" Rani inquired, falling into a state of disbelief as she walked towards the elder woman, her eyes fixed on the porcelain child that looked as delicate as a china doll, while her eyebrows disappeared towards her hairline.

"Don't make her cry; she cried earlier and every light in the house blew" Sarah Jane informed her, hoping that the infant had finally stopped her crying for at least a little while until she could talk to Rani. The teenager raised an eyebrow, babies didn't go around blowing things up. The baby couldn't be an alien, could it? "In the street more like" The teenager revealed, taking a step forward to examine the baby whom she was now convinced was an alien.

The creaking of the door as it opened announced the arrival of the third member of their group, breaking the conversation between the two women. "I got what you said in the message but I don't know what you need nappies for..." Clyde's confused tone filled the attic as he stepped inside, trying his best to shut the door with his foot as he struggled to hold a large packet of nappies under each arm, as well as a two bags filled with 'baby essentials', or essentially everything Sarah Jane thought a baby needed. He had to admit, he had started to worry a little whenever he got that text messages, after all, why would Sarah Jane suddenly find herself with a baby?

Now, he had even more questions than before.

Looking down at the bundle in the woman's arms, he almost dropped the plastic shopping bags as he took in the scene. Sarah Jane glanced up at the young man as he stepped inside, praying silently that he wouldn't upset the baby in her arms. Returning her attention back to the infant, she watched as her sea blue eyes began to glimmer a little, as a gentle blush grew on her cheeks and as her pale pink lips turned up in a smile as she moved her hands around in the air.

"Something like that should explain everything...but actually I'm even more confused" Clyde admitted truthfully as he arrived in front of Sarah Jane and the baby, placing the bags down to relieve his tired arms of the heavy load, his eyes remaining fixed on the small infant in his mentor's arms. "Well, I found her on the doorstep..I was going to call the police but I don't think they'll have much luck finding her parents" Sarah Jane admitted, suddenly feeling the growing fatigue wash over her like waves as she adjusted the baby in her arms, holding her slightly higher.

Rani and Clyde shared an equally confused look, with Rani feeling as though her earlier suspicions were about to be confirmed. "Not on this planet anyway" She revealed as the baby began to fuss once more, demanding her attention. If it hadn't of been such an inappropriate time, Rani would have said _'I told you so'_. Clyde on the other hand, had to use all his self control not to drop the packet of nappies onto the wooden floor.

An alien baby; and there was him thinking he had heard it all.

As though doing a full 180 degree turn, the momentarily content baby let out an irritated cry as she threw her arms in the air in protest and towards Sarah Jane's face in the hope of grasping her attention. As the cry left the child's pale lips, the reading lamp on the desk blew up, with sparks flying towards the small group. Turning herself to shield the baby from the sparks, Sarah Jane glanced back up as she heard Rani's muffled cry as the teenage jumped and stepped behind Clyde. "It's alright..it's alright" Sarah Jane repeated, even though it certainly wasn't alright! Deciding to try her earlier method, she once again tried to pacify the baby, or at least get her to stop crying.

"Luke was born a thirteen year old boy. Teenagers I can handle, but a baby - an alien baby - I need help" She admitted desperately, she didn't know the first thing about looking after a baby. Teenagers were much more simpler to look after; they were almost adults and could do the majority of things themselves, and most of all, they don't cry every two seconds and they are able to tell you what the problem is, without the parent being left playing a guessing game.

Looking at the pair with pleading eyes, the brunette took a step forward towards them as Rani took a firm step back, putting her hand out and declaring "Don't look at me!"

Perhaps Rani was as inexperienced with children as she herself was?

Turning to look at Clyde, Sarah Jane could feel herself becoming more desperate by the minute. "Or me; obviously" Clyde responded when he caught Sarah Jane look at him, just when he thought he had gotten off baby duty. Taking a step backwards, Clyde fell back into line with Rani as he eyed the baby up curiously.

Looking down at the baby who had began giggling happily, looking rather amused with herself, Sarah Jane distanced herself from the conversation for a moment as she allowed herself to think of a way to fix the situation. What could she do with the girl? All she knew was that she was an alien, dropped off on her doorstep. Was there a reason why this girl was left with her?

Seeing how desperate Sarah Jane was becoming, Clyde sighed softly before announcing. "I only know one way to shut up a baby" His words were enough to pull Sarah Jane out of her train of thought and turn to face him again.

If she could, Sarah Jane would have hugged him there and then.

It was for this reason that she had rather willingly passed the infant off to Clyde before she headed towards her room to clear her head for a minute, and change into something that wasn't her nightdress and dressing gown.

Cautiously walking into the living room, fearing that too much noise could send the child into another crying fit, Sarah Jane stepped inside and watched Clyde as he fed the girl a bottle of formula. It was times like this that she was thankful for the young man - and Rani of course. Waiting until the infant was fed, she fetched the car seat from the attic, deciding that the safest place for the baby was somewhere other than her house, where there were countless alien artifacts that she could unceremoniously blow up.

Announcing to her two younger friends that they were all going to head out, she placed the baby seat in front of Clyde as she went to fetch the keys to her well loved mint green Nissan Figaro. Holding the door open for Rani, who was coming behind with the baby seat, she made the mental decision that the park would be their safest bet. She doubted anyone there would know her, and whoever was after the baby was hardly going to attack them in broad daylight in the middle of a public park. "The park is the best bet I think" Sarah Jane announced as she adjusted her leather watch on her wrist as she headed towards the middle of the driveway where her car set waiting.

It seemed Gita - Rani's mother - had the _perfect sense of timing_ for everything these days.

Seeing the woman marching towards them, Sarah Jane threw a glance down at the carrier seat, how on earth was she going to explain the baby to Gita?

' _Oh yes, an alien baby was dropped on my doorstep last night and she has a habit of blowing things up, which is probably why your electricity went out.'_

And give the woman a heart attack; she thought not!

"There you are Rani!" Gita exclaimed as she walked towards the group, just as Sarah Jane snatched the car seat from the teenage girl, hoping to find a way to make it go unnoticed by their latest guest. Pushing down the cover, she silently prayed the baby wouldn't cry; or the game would be up.

As typical with Gita, she had seen everything.

"Is there something you've not been telling us, Sarah?" Gita inquired as she let out a cheshire cat smile, her eyes focused on the unmistakable object that was most certainly a baby's car seat.

' _How are you going to explain this one away, old girl?'_ Sarah Jane thought, failing to notice the other woman opening the cover of the car seat and looking inside at the baby who seemed rather confused as to why everything had suddenly went dark. "You've started fostering, haven't you, my darling?" Gita came to her own conclusion, leaving Sarah Jane standing speechless, simply nodding her head to answer the woman's question.

Gita reached forward, moving to touch the soft skin of the baby's hand as she pulled her lips up into a bright smile.

Deciding that it would be better to keep the baby and Gita separated, Sarah Jane moved to shut down the cover a little harder than intended, causing the two teenagers to look at each other in confusion over Sarah Jane's sudden protectiveness. Keeping ahold of the car seat, she listened as Gita spoke of the supposed meteor that crashed the night before.

An alien baby turning up on her door step and a meteor crashing all on the same night? Sarah Jane didn't believe in consequences.

"She's got to have a name, Sarah" Gita announced as she pushed open the cover to look in at the baby once more. "Sky" Sarah Jane answered unintentionally as she thought about the connection between the two events, being drawn back to earth by Clyde trying to explain the name to a rather unimpressed Gita. What had she expected her to call the baby? _Leia_? So they could get another branch of Star Wars jokes?

Gita moved forward to tickle the child, sending her into a laughing fit, causing Gita's car alarm to start blaring loudly as the lights flashed on and off. Thankfully, it seemed this was enough to finally get the woman to leave them alone. Taking the car seat, Sarah Jane quickly handed it over to Clyde before explaining that she and Rani would go and investigate the meteor while Clyde would stay here with the newly named baby.

As she had expected, it wasn't difficult to Sarah Jane to slip both herself and Rani into the crash site of the meteor. Suddenly she wished that she hadn't left the baby behind, even more so if whoever was looking for Sky was heading towards Bannerman Road. To make matters worse, like most teenagers, Clyde wasn't even picking up his mobile. Sarah Jane had to admit, she had almost broken several speeding laws as she pushed her foot down on the acceleration in a bid to get back to the house as quickly as physically possible.

Pulling into the driveway, a sudden sense of dread filled the woman. Abandoning the car in the middle of the driveway, Sarah Jane stepped out of the driver's seat and head into the house once again, putting an inch to her step while calling out for Clyde in the process.

Heading up to the attic, take the steps two at a time, she went on autopilot as she attempted to form a plan to get the Sky back. She watched as Mr. Smith made his way through various CCTV footage. As typical for a super computer like him, it didn't take long by Mr. Smith's standards before he had found the teenager and the baby, accompanied by a mysterious blonde haired woman. Grabbing her keys once more, Sarah Jane headed down the staircase, mindful not to miss the bottom step before jogging towards the car.

Call it a trick of the trade, but trespassing and entering into private property seemed to have become a skill of Sarah Jane's.

Taking the back entrance, the woman jogged through the grey hallways of the power plant, her trusty sonic lipstick in hand. "I won't let you harm this child" Sarah Jane announced, feeling the anger boiling in her veins as she threw her best death glare towards the blonde woman. If looks could kill, then the other woman would have been at least six feet under by now.

Clyde placed the car seat at her feet and she felt a sudden need to stand between it and the feisty blonde woman, even more so when the metal robot - referred to as the ' _metal kind_ ' by the other woman - made his presence known. Flicking the lid of her sonic lipstick, Sarah Jane glanced between the blonde woman and the metal kind, before pointing it towards the latter of the pair, deciding he was more of an immediate threat. It proved to be a good enough distraction for her to pick up the car seat and for Rani and Clyde to get out of the room, but not enough to get both herself and Sky out.

Turning to face the blonde woman, she placed the car seat back down at her feet, standing in front of it as Miss Myers produced the royal purple toned portal. How could the woman see Sky as nothing more than a bomb? Who would ever use an innocent child to destroy an entire race? Never had she met someone so willing to sacrifice a child in such a horrible, horrendous way, and she had witnessed the creation of the Daleks and the destructions of worlds.

"She's not a weapon!" Sarah Jane exclaimed, forcing herself to place her hands over her ears in a bid to stop the screeching noise that penetrated across the room, that seemed to be thousand times worse than any of Sky's cries. As the room filled with coldness, Sky let out a shrilling cry as the voices only got louder. Until suddenly there was nothing.

The portal seemed to stop with one final cry leaving Sky's lips, the voices and the marching of metal feet fell silent and the room was illuminated by a glowing red light.

Allowing her eyes to adjust to the sudden change of light, Sarah Jane bent down in front of the car seat, moving to lift the unconscious infant out and into her awaiting arms. The sound of running footsteps heading down the empty corridor alerted Sarah Jane to the presence of her two younger companions. "Is she okay?" Rani came to a sudden stop in front of the pair, watching as Sarah Jane tightened her grip on the child as she creased her cheek worriedly. "All that energy had to go somewhere. Sky absorbed it all like a light rod" She said, her voice laced with fear and anxiety, suddenly wishing she could hear the child's cries once more, however annoying they had once been.

As if on perfecting timing, the infant opened her eyes and let out a small mumble; a cross between a laugh and some mumbled baby language. Allowing herself to relax, Sarah Jane moved to rest the infant against her shoulder. Never had she been so glad to hold a child in her arms.

It was at this stage that Miss Myers decided to make her presence felt. Taking a sudden step back, she clasped a hand over her heart in shock. "I can feel it, the energy back lash has destroyed her genetic code. She's _useless_ now" The woman spat, unimpressed that her 'weapon' had been rendered completely useless.

Heartless would hardly begin to describe what Sarah Jane thought of Miss Myers. Allowing a weak smile grace her lips, Sarah Jane allowed the infant to distract her as the metal kind stepped forward from the shadows, taking a tight hold of the fur-wearing woman.

Knowing all too well what was to come, Sarah Jane turned herself towards Clyde and Rani, shielding Sky from the dark purple glow that appeared, before Miss Myers let out a shrilling cry of her own, only to disappear along with the metal kind, as though into thin air. Exhaling loudly, Sarah Jane glanced back down at the baby who seemed to find the whole ordeal rather hilarious, or so she assumed by the child's gentle giggling.

"So Sky is a normal baby now?" Clyde wondered aloud, looking down at the infant whom he had affectionately nicknamed as ' _Sparky'._ "She's been deactivated so to speak, but I'll get Mr. Smith to run a full medic scan" Sarah Jane revealed to the pair, spotting the confused looking worker from the corner of her eye. Typical. Deciding that she was both too tired, and more concerned about getting Sky out of the power plant, she shook her head before heading down the corridor with a rather content Sky resting in her arms.

Pulling into the driveway, there was nothing that Sarah Jane wanted to do more than to curl up on the sofa with a good book and a tall glass of wine; though this situation would probably be replaced with finding something to content the no doubt starving infant.

Deciding to leave the car seat in the car, Sarah Jane stepped out of the driver's seat and pushed back the leather chair, moving to pick the infant up and out of her car seat. Waiting until both Rani and Clyde were out, she locked the car and began to head towards the house.

"Sarah! Sarah!"

Taking a deep breath and reminding herself that Gita wouldn't be sticking her nose out of her private life anytime soon, she decided that she may as well learn to deal with it. "Gita. Haresh" Sarah Jane turned to smile at the couple as she greeted them, her expression becoming gentler as she spotted the arrangement of pastel toned flowers in Gita's arms. "I was telling Haresh all about you fostering beautiful little baby Sky" Gita announced happily, allowing herself to fuss over the infant in Sarah Jane's arms as she handed Rani over the flowers. "Yes well, it was all rather sudden" Sarah Jane confessed, moving to fix Sky's cotton white baby hat as she glanced back up at Gita. "Isn't she just adorable. Sky Smith" The woman gushed to her husband before she smiled at her daughter. "Now, if you'll excuse us" Sarah Jane didn't wait for a response before she headed up the driveway towards her front door.

"I just want to have Mr. Smith check over you" Sarah Jane had never put herself down as the sort to talk to a baby as though they could reply, but she felt a sudden a sense of comfort from the action. Was she really becoming soft?

Sarah Jane pushed the wooden door of the attic shut with her back, looking up to discover a familiar looking red, blue and white toned bird perched upon a brushed gold stand. Tightening her grip of the baby, she turned her head towards her telescope as a man's broad voice filled the room. "Honestly, Miss Smith, how can you even see out of this?" The familiar man asked with a chuckle as he rose from his seat and headed towards the pair. "How did you get in here?" She asked, concerned filling her voice as she swayed on her feet.

Brushing aside her question, he moved up onto the step beside her. "Oh, how well the child is fitting in here" The man announced happily, coming to stop before the bird's stand, folding his hands in front of him as he smirked at the woman knowingly. "You brought Sky here?" Sarah Jane inquired, now more confused than ever as she glanced down at the baby. Ever since being deactivated, the once fussy, attention seeking girl had been replaced with a much more content and generally quieter baby; not that Sarah Jane minded of course. "What a perfect name for a perfect child, young Sky" He kept his eyes on the child whom had seemed to stolen Sarah Jane's heart.

Turning his attention to the bird, he gently patted his head before stepping towards Sarah Jane. "Consider us, 'Caretakers of the Universe'. We put things in the right place, and sometimes a child needs to find a home, and I could find no home safer in all the universe for this child than yours" He admitted as a worried, concerned expression came to Sarah Jane's feature as she felt Sky's short fingers wrap themselves around her ring finger, much like she had earlier that morning, in a bid to comfort herself.

"I'm assuming you're here to take her back" Sarah Jane thought aloud, feeling her heart drop to the bottom of her stomach as she listened to the man. She could almost feel the sudden surge of sadness washing over her. Had she really become so attached to the child, and so suddenly? "Well, that depends on you" He admitted, causing Sarah Jane to give Sky's much smaller hand a gentle squeeze as she bit down on her lip for a short moment. Taking the woman's action as her silent answer, he nodded his head and smiled. "That answers my question. So, that's that then" He concluded, moving to put his arm out for the bird.

Both had disappeared before Sarah Jane could even react; leaving the woman to stand confused and perplexed in the middle of the attic.

"Well..I guess you're going to be sticking around for a while. _Sky Smith_ " Sarah Jane chuckled as she headed out of the room.

She never could turn down a chance to go shopping, and it seemed a trip to Mother Care and a good work out for her credit card was in order. 


	2. A Handful

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sarah Jane recalls exactly why she didn't have children of her own, and Luke returns home to a surprise

**Our Family Portrait / Chapter Two / A Handful**

After one single tiresome night, Sarah Jane suddenly remembered _why_ she had never had children herself.

They were a handful... _literally._

Arriving at the kitchen, Sarah Jane used her left hand to reach out to switch on the light, allowing it to illuminate the unusually cluttered kitchen. Several bottles had been abandoned on the worktop, various boxes of formula were stacked beside the kettle and a small mountain of shopping bags had been left abandoned at the kitchen table.

One thing was for sure; Coffee was _definitely_ in order.

Bringing her steaming mug of coffee - white with no sugar - to her pale lips, Sarah Jane turned her head as she heard the front door open slowly and cautiously. "Sarah Jane" Her guest whispered, fearful that Sky may still be peacefully sleeping and didn't want to be responsible for sending the infant into another one of her infamous crying fits. "In here" Sarah Jane called, ushering Rani into the kitchen, deciding that Sky would probably be awake any minute anyway.

"Would you like some tea?" She asked when the teenager arrived at the door and stepped inside. "Please. How's Sky?" Rani asked curiously as she sat herself down at the table and looked up at the older woman as she pottered around the room in search of the teabags. When had everything in her kitchen magically grown legs and started to walk? _"A handful"_ Sarah Jane revealed with a sigh, causing Rani to chuckle softly as she took in her surroundings; the place was already filled with Sky's things, as if she had always been there - the very thought made Rani smile to herself.

As though she was aware that people were talking about her, a small cry echoed around the Victorian house.

"Duty calls" Sarah Jane announced as sat the unused teabags down onto the work top before disappearing out of the door, her feet echoing through the house as she headed up towards the constant crying.

Rani looked up suspiciously as she heard the front door creaking open cautiously, followed by the gentle patting of footsteps across the wooden floor. "I'm assuming Sparky is awake" Clyde announced as he appeared at the kitchen door, dropping himself down on the chair across from Rani at the bottom of the table. It seemed the nickname of ' _Sparky_ ' was going to stick around, at least as far as Clyde was concerned.

"Who would have thought, Sherlock!" Rani rolled her eyes at Clyde's constant pointing out of the obvious. It was only now that Rani realized how different things would be. It wouldn't be just the three of them - or four when Luke was home - and Sarah Jane would have someone too constantly worry about. Not that she didn't have to worry about herself, Clyde and Luke, but they could take care of themselves whereas Sky was completely dependent on Sarah Jane - just like any other child would be of their parent.

"Good morning, Clyde" Appearing behind the young man, Sarah Jane made her presence known as she stepped into the room once more; a rather relaxed Sky resting in her arms, content to play with the ivory white bunny rabbit they had bought on their shopping trip the evening previous. "Sparky" Clyde beamed up at the child as he took in her strangely calm nature. Looking down from the arms of her protector, Sky's face brightened up somewhat, and her arms began to flap up and down.

"She likes you; both of you actually" Sarah Jane took her own turn in stating the obvious as she sat herself down in the chair at the side of the walnut table. The infant looked thrilled and overjoyed to see the two familiar guests at the kitchen table. Babies always did react well to familiar faces. Rani leaned forward across the table to take the infant's small porcelain like hand. "Sky is just adorable" Clyde rolled his eyes at his friend's statement, girls always did get a little 'gushy' whenever it came to babies.

The kettle whistled defiantly, demanding attention from the occupies of the kitchen.

"I'll get it" Clyde cut in as he stood up and headed towards the continued whistling of the kettle. Busying himself with finding the necessary mugs and other pieces of china, a sudden thought - or person rather - entered Clyde's mind, and he suddenly wondered why it had taken it so long too.

_Luke._

How would he react to the newest addiction to his unique family; and even more so, another technically alien child?

Would he be overjoyed, ecstatic at the chance of being a 'big brother' - something Clyde himself had always wanted - or would he become insecure and apprehensive about his role as Sarah Jane's son, now that he was no longer an only child?

Luke was hard to read, even Sarah Jane would admit that, so it would be a waiting game to see how he reacts to the newest addiction. He wondered if Luke even knew that he had a sister.

"Sarah Jane" Clyde began as he poured a single teaspoon of white sugar into his milky tea, stirring it silently as he contemplation how he was going to put his next statement. "Does Luke know yet?" While the question was open ended, it didn't take a genius to figure out what - or rather who - the topic was.

Turning around to face the women who had become a mother figure in his life, Clyde could see the anxious expression on her face; he had always been able to read her like an open book. It seemed she share his thoughts on Luke's reactions to his sister.

"No" Sarah Jane admitted, attempting to distract herself by readjusting the cotton hat on her daughter's delicate head. "He's coming home this weekend, isn't he?" Clyde coaxed, heading back towards the table with a steaming mug of freshly poured tea in each hand. Nodding her head slowly, Sarah Jane drew her eyes away from the baby and towards the teenager on her right hand side. "I thought it would be better to tell him in person" She revealed, having been fearful that Luke would remain at Oxford as oppose to coming home for the weekend when faced with the unexpected news. "One night wasn't going to make much of a difference" The elder woman mused, at least that was what she had been telling herself.

Rani pipped up then, quickly catching on to what Clyde was trying to do. She herself had almost forgotten about Luke, even forgetting that he was coming home that day for the weekend. Now, when faced with the issue, she could sense exactly why Sarah Jane hadn't told Luke the night before, during her usual nightly phone call with the intelligent teenager. "He'll be fine, Sarah Jane" Rani concluded, receiving only a warm, but weak, smile in return.

* * *

When the car engine came to a stop at the top of the driveway, Sarah Jane felt as thought her heart was in her stomach. Clyde and Rani had decided to remain at the house until Luke arrived, at least to ease Sarah Jane's worries - and their own - about Luke's reaction to Sky.

Leaving the sleeping Sky in the living room with both Clyde and Rani, Sarah Jane headed towards the threshold of her Victorian home; just like she did every other time her treasured son visited home. Opening the front door, she left it ajar behind her, as she caught sight of her son hulling his overpacked duffle bag - no doubt filled with washing for her to do - out of the back of the yellow vintage car, and over his shoulder.

"Mum!" Luke exclaimed as he slammed the door shut behind him and jogged up the driveway to embrace his mother in a tight hug. Her hug wasn't as comforting as usual, and the young man could almost feel the anxiety washing over his mother like waves.

"Is something wrong?" He questioned as he held his mother at arms length for a moment. "I have something to tell you..." His mother began, sighing to herself as she looked up into her son's troubled eyes. Gentle whimpers and cries filled the air, cutting the woman off mid-sentence. So much for telling him first... "Was that what I think it is?" Luke thought aloud as he sidestepped around his mother and made his way into his former home, following the constant small cries.

Arriving at the door of the well kept living room, Luke's duffle bag dropped to the floor with a loud 'thud' at the sight that greeted him.

Clyde - in a desperate bid to settle the crying infant - had placed a crimson colored sock on his hand and was attempting to use it as a puppet to entertain the girl. While Rani was jumping the crying infant up and down in her arms, hoping her sobs wouldn't be heard by the returning visitor, at least until Sarah Jane got a chance to explain everything for him. It seemed they were having no such luck.

"Let me guess, this is what you wanted too explain to me" Luke foretold as he turned to face his mother as the woman entered the tense room. "Let me explain" Sarah Jane insisted before catching sight of the desperate looking Rani. Stepping around Luke, she moved towards Rani and relieved her of the crying infant before picking up the plush bunny from the table and resting it beside the baby in her arms as Sky quickly calmed herself and her sobs eventually turned into gentle whimpers.

Sitting himself down onto the coffee toned leather sofa, Luke folded his hands as he looked up at his mother for an explanation on why there was a baby girl in her living room.

"I found her on my doorstep the night before last, and at the same time, a meteor crashed not far from here" Sarah Jane confessed as she lowered herself down onto the single seater across from her son, careful not to disturb the sleeping infant in her arms. Once in a comfortable position - and confident that Sky wasn't about to cry - she continued her story.

"Sky would cry and all the light bulbs would blow. It turned out that she had been created by a woman named 'Miss Myers' to be used as a weapon against what was called the 'Metal Kind'" Sarah Jane couldn't stop herself from drawing the similarities between her adopted son and daughter; both created as weapons by aliens, both coming to her by a stroke of luck and both coming under her care as her child. "The woman managed to get Sky and took her to the power planet, and it turned out the meteor had been one of the metal kind arriving on earth. Whenever Sky came into contact with the metal kind, the energy back lash destroyed her genetic coding, she's more or less a normal child" They couldn't be one hundred percent sure of that, even with Mr. Smith's assistance, but Sarah Jane was not taking her adoptive daughter anywhere near U.N.I.T, where she would no doubt become some sort of test subject or experiment.

"She isn't very different from me then" Luke judged as he stood up from his seat after several moments of silence before heading over to his mother and newly adopted sister. It seemed mother and son - even when not biologically related - had thought alike. "I guess I'll have to get used to a baby in the house" He concluded before picking Sky up from his mother's arms, making sure to take the bunny with him.

Everything would be okay. Sarah Jane was confident of that now.

Somehow, they would find a way - the five of them - to balance everything.

Turning to look out the window, the woman could have sworn she had heard the faint familiar wheezing and groaning that the TARDIS made during landing. Thought it was faint, almost impossible to hear to the untrained ear.

Shaking her head, the sound disappeared almost as quickly as it came.

Putting the noise down to simple sleep deprivation, Sarah Jane returned her attention to her unique family unit.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm finally returning to this story, as it's about the only thing my muse wants to write. I don't even know if there's an audience for this anymore, but oh well...

Cautiously, The Doctor pushed the door of the TARDIS open, letting the aroma of freshly cut grass reach his nose while the heat of the early summer's sun greeted him. He had only been to this place a handful of times, two or three at the most, but he knew exactly where it was right away.

 

"Why have you brought me here, old girl?" He asked curiously, hesitating for a moment before venturing out of the TARDIS and into the garden. Of course, the TARDIS had parked herself in Sarah Jane's back garden, no doubt deliberately to avoid his friend gaining any more unwanted attention from her neighbours.

 

He had simply been wandering space, hovering along as he lay at his length in the control room, occasionally throwing his sonic screwdriver up in the air. It was then that the TARDIS had suddenly come to life; it wasn't the first time she had taken on a life of her own, and it certainly wouldn't be the last time either.

 

The TARDIS had always been fond of Sarah Jane; if a time travelling machine could have favourites.

 

Making his way up the path to the back door, he resisted the temptation to roll his eyes when he discovered that the door was unlocked. Would Sarah ever learn? Stepping inside, he was careful to make as little noise as possible as he tried to figure out where Sarah Jane could be. After all, the TARIS clearly thought there was a reason that he should be here, and he may as well surprise her, and Luke as well if the boy was around.

 

Heading through the house, his footsteps came to a sudden halt as he heard a baby's cry echo through the hallway.

 

This couldn't be the right house.

 

Sarah Jane only had Luke and her band of teenagers for companion. 

 

Had the Tardis brought him too far into the future?

 

"There you go, that's all you wanted," Sarah Jane said reassuringly from inside the lounge, her voice carrying through the lower floor of the house.

 

No, that was _definitely_ Sarah's voice.

 

Perhaps this was some alternative timeline? Where Sarah Jane had never travelled with him and had lived her life on the 'slower path'.

 

He stood frozen in the hallway as he heard footsteps pacing around what he assumed to be the living room. Gathering whatever courage he could muster from within him, he stepped forward cautiously, his eyes widening as the woman in question came into view; his first view of her from behind, but still the small bundle in her arms was clearly noticeable thanks to the blanket she had been wrapped in. The Doctor observed the scene before him in silence for a moment, his eyes darting from the baby swing that sat next to the sofa, to the legal pads sprawled across the coffee table, the pages scribbled with Sarah Jane's cursive handwriting.

 

It wasn't long before he was spotted.

 

"Doctor" Sarah Jane breathed, blinking several times as though she thought the sleep deprivation was finally catching up on her, and that she was simply imagining the figure before her. It wouldn't have been the first time. 

 

This wasn't the latest version of him that she had ran into, during those horrible days when she had believed he was dead. No, this was the same face that she had ran into after all those years at  Deffry Vale School. The same face that she had met again when Davros returned, the same one that had saved her from the cruelty of The Trickster.

 

"Something you've got to tell me, Sarah Jane?" He jested, hovering at the door frame as he awkwardly shifted from foot to foot, burying his hands in the pockets of his trousers. He had never put her down as an overly maternal woman, at least not until he had seen her with Luke, but with that baby in her arms, she could have fooled even him.

 

"This is Sky," She started, looking down at the infant in her arms, who lay contently sucking on the ear of her plush bunny rabbit, "the newest, _unexpected_ addition to the Smith family". Sarah Jane revealed, the corners of her lips curling up in a smile as she stroked the baby's tiny fingers.

 

Curiosity quickly got the better of him as he crossed the room slowly, coming to a stop in front of the woman and her child. Producing his sonic screwdriver from the breast pocket of his blazer, he hovered it over to the child. "She's not exactly human" He announced the obvious, the lines in his forehead growing as he gazed down on the peculiar child. "Well, she's about 90% human now" Sarah Jane replied, knowing that they had no way of knowing exactly how Sky's former powers might manifest itself until she was older. Although, the occasional flickering of lights or turning on of the television set had Sarah Jane convinced that the child hadn't completely lost her abilities.  

 

As happy as she was to see him, it wasn't like The Doctor to land on her doorstep unannounced, no matter how many times she had hoped and prayed that he would do just that.

 

"Would you like to stay for dinner?" She proposed, knowing that she would most likely order food in, instead of attempting to cook. "I would love to" He replied, his lips curling up in a smile as he finally felt himself begin to relax, the tension leaving his shoulders as he looked between his former companion and her child, his curiosity not yet satisfied.

 

"How old was she when you got her?" The Doctor asked, knowing that as surprising as Sarah Jane Smith may be, there was practically no way that the girl in front of him, regardless of her bambi eyes, could be the biological child of the woman in front of her. "Mr. Smith estimated about four weeks, so she's a little over six weeks now" Sarah Jane revealed, sitting herself down on the armrest of the sofa in front of him, her eyes dropping down to look at the infant who was carefully nestled in her soft blanket. He nodded his head in agreement, knowing that his sonic screwdriver had informed him of her age. Even with the sight before him, he couldn't imagine her with a practically newborn baby, yet here she was, nursing Sky in her arms as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

 

"Would you like to hold her while I find the menus?" Sarah Jane suggested, standing up again as she closed the space between them, not giving him time to protest before shifting the bundle out of her arms and into his, "She won't break, I promise" She assured him, watching as he adjusted her in his arms, uncertain at first, before his shoulders dropped and he started to rock her slowly, confident in the fact that he wouldn't, in fact, drop or break the girl.

 

When was the last time he had held an infant as young as Sky?

 

When was the last time he had held an infant as near and dear to him as any child of Sarah's?

 

Pulling on the top of Sky's blanket, tucking it under the girl's arm, Sarah Jane looked up at The Doctor, flashing him a smile. "I'll be back in a minute" She promised, before turning around and disappearing down the hallway, leaving the time lord alone with the infant.

 

Stepping forward, he made his way towards the window that overlooked the front garden, where the early evening sun had slipped through the windows, illuminating the room in its natural light. "Well, weren't you a surprise to find?" He asked, well aware that if someone had told him even an hour ago that he would be brought to Bannerman Road, let alone met Sarah Jane's infant daughter, then he would called that person mad.

 

* * *

 

 

"And she's okay now, the energy blast hasn't resulted in any long term damage?" The Doctor inquired, glancing down at the infant who sat in her swing seat that had been placed between Sarah's seat at the top of the dining table, and his at her left-hand side. Lifting the carton from the middle of the table, he filled his plate with the rest of the pasta that Sarah Jane had ordered "As far as we can tell, there's no lasting damage. Of course, we don't know how much of her abilities remain, though I do suspect she's not totally without them" She joked, hoping that her days of light bulbs exploding and phone lines going down were behind her.

 

The Doctor has been with her for almost an hour now, and he had yet to announce the reason behind his visit. "You know I enjoy nothing more than seeing you, but why are you here?" She asked softly, not wanting him to be hurt or offended by her words. She had waited decades on him, and even now she only saw him every few years; never in the greatest of circumstances. He wasn't the sort of person who called out of the blue, everything he did had a purpose, even if that purpose was not clear at the time.

 

"I...I don't know," He confessed, suddenly unsure of himself as he sat back on his seat, contemplating his thoughts for a moment, "I was just...drifting about up there, and you know what the TARDIS can get like at times" The Doctor revealed, knowing that he had been so lost in the train of his own thoughts that he had hardly noticed the TARDIS going off course.

 

"She really does have a mind of her own" Sarah Jane agreed, clasping her wine glass in her hand as she leant back in her seat, crossing her arms in front of her.

 

"I'm glad she took me here though, I'm always meaning to stop by" He insisted, a sense of sincerity in his voice that Sarah Jane had not often heard before. It was intended to be an apology, but that was a conversation Sarah Jane was not prepared to indulge him in.

 

_She had waited a lifetime for an apology, but he had already earned her forgiveness._

 

"You don't have to say that, I know you don't mean it," She assured him, her voice dropping to hover above a whisper as her eyes flickering to the floor, focusing on the infant as her eyelids grew heavy, sleep calling her name as her eyelashes fluttered. "You don't owe me anything" Sarah Jane concluded, raising her wine glass to her lips, letting the crimson liquid burn the back of her throat as she shut her eyes for a moment as the silence of the room kept her at ease.

 

Yet, she owed him everything.

 

The Doctor watched her for a moment. It was the first time in years, at least since he had seen her during the Davros business, that he had gotten a chance to look at her, and truly see her. There was a youthful glow to her skin, her shoulders didn't have the same tension that they once held, she no longer was forced to carry what seemed like the weight of the world on those shoulders. "No, Sarah. I'm glad that I'm here, please believe me when I say that" He insisted, placing his cutlery down as he resisted the urge to reach out and take her hand in his.

 

Not for the first time, nor the last, he wished that she wasn't as stubborn as she was.

 

He had wanted her to move on, to have a life without him. Truth be told, seeing her reminded him too much of the past, too much of the life he had been too scared to claim as his own.

 

Placing her wine glass down on the table, Sarah Jane rested her elbow down beside her empty plate, her head coming to rest on the palm of her hand as she looked at the door. She was tempted to ask how long it would be before he would disappear again. He never stayed around long; here one minute and gone with the wind the next.

 

As Sky stirred in her swing, fussing against her blanket, Sarah Jane diverted her attention away from The Doctor. "Give me half an hour to put her to bed," She announced, standing from her seat to gather the infant into her arms, taking the freshly prepared bottle off the marble worktop, "feel free to have another glass of wine, I won't be long, I promise" She offered, feeling a need to put some space between the two of them.

 

She didn't want to fall into his trap again, to become dependent on him. The TARDIS had brought him here for a reason, even if that reason was not yet clear to either of them. He would leave her again, just like he did every time, and like a well-oiled machine, she would repair the damage he had left behind and move on with her life.

 

 

* * *

 

 

He was alone again, or at least, he appeared to be alone again.

 

Had he abandoned someone else hundreds of miles from their home? Who was the last person he had travelled with? This version, this face of The Doctor, was the one she had last seen during the business with The Trickster. Donna had been gone by then, and he was once again alone. The newer version of The Doctor, when she had been led to believe he was dead, had mentioned an "Amy" and "Rory", yet this face seemed to have not met them yet.

 

He shouldn't be alone.

 

Pushing open the door of the attic, she wasn't surprised to find him sitting on the step, quizzing Mr. Smith about his matrix while using his sonic screwdriver to repair a few minor faults on K-9. "I still find it hard to believe that you built Mr. Smith yourself" He announced, hearing her footsteps grow louder as she came to stop beside him, sitting herself down on the step next to him.

 

"Good evening, Mistress" K-9 greeted her, nodding his head before Sarah Jane reached out to touch his ear, "Hello, K-9" She replied, before turning to look at The Doctor, "well, it wasn't exactly an overnight project" She confessed, remembering how frustrated she had been assembling the supercomputer, and how many times she had considered abandoning the project entirely. "I obviously picked up a thing or two over the years with you" Sarah Jane joked, raising her eyebrow as she watched him adjust his sonic screwdriver.

 

Spotting the bottle of wine that sat on his other side, she passed no comment on the empty wine glass, which has been full before she had left to put Sky down to sleep in the nursery. "How about I show you some of this?" She suggested, raising her hand in the air while glancing around at the various artefacts that were dotted across her attic.

 

Whatever was wrong with him, she would get to the bottom of it.

 

* * *

 

 

Later that evening, after having finished her daily phone call with Luke, Sarah Jane found him hovering at the door of the nursery, looking in at the peaceful child as she slept in her cot, as though she didn't have a care in the universe.

 

"I forget how small they are," He confessed, sensing her presence behind him. "I never knew how small they were" Sarah Jane responded, chuckling to herself while leaning against the opposite side of the doorframe to look across the room at the child asleep in the cot beside her bed.

 

A comfortable silence fell between them, as they contented themselves with watching the gentle rise and fall of Sky's chest, her musical mobile, with its appropriate array of stars and moons, hovering above her.

 

"Do you ever regret it?" He asked suddenly, breaking the trance that had fallen over him "travelling with me?" The Doctor added, bracing himself for the answer to the question that had haunted him for years.

 

There was no denying that her life would have been different if she had not gone travelling with him. It would have saved her the heartache. It would have saved her from Davros, the horrors she had been subjected to during their time together, and the pain of falling for and then losing Peter.

 

"Never," She replied without hesitation, "not for a moment". There was no amount of words in the universe to describe the debt that she felt towards him. Without him, she wouldn't have _this_...any of it. "Just think, I wouldn't have Luke, or even Sky for that matter, if I hadn't travelled with you" Sarah Jane reminded him, knowing that it was likely she wouldn't have had any of the close friends that she considered family, the Brigadier, Harry Sullivan and Kate Stewart amongst them.

 

The Doctor nodded his head in agreement; knowing that his guilt would have been only greater if Sarah did not have Luke or the infant in the nursery.

 

"Can I stay?" He asked, the question escaping his lips before he had even realised, "just for a little while?" The Doctor added quickly, well aware of just how presumptuous he was being. She owed him nothing, and he had simply walked back into her life unannounced.

 

"Of course, you'll always have a home here" Sarah Jane assured him, slightly taken aback by his question. "You can take Luke's room, it's the one down the hallway on the left" She offered, knowing that her son's double bed would be more comfortable than the other guest room, which was currently overflowing with her old journals and didn't have a proper duvet set. She hadn't mentioned to Luke that The Doctor was there, knowing that her son would rush back from Oxford to see him, while she knew that there was every possibility he could leave as quickly as he came.

 

"Goodnight," Sarah Jane said, hovering for a moment before returning to his side to place a kiss on his check, "sleep well." She sighed before turning on her heel to head down the hallway to the bedroom nearest the nursery, closing the door behind her softly. Leaning against her bedroom door, she turned the baby monitor on as she listened for the sound of his footsteps; three minutes went by before she heard the floorboards creak under the weight of him as he left the nursery.

  
Something was wrong with him, and she was determined to get to the bottom of it.


End file.
